It’s primary election day in Florida. Here’s what’s on the ballot

Compared with the wild twists and turns of the presidential election, today’s Florida’s primary election is expected to be relatively tame.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must vote in their assigned polling locations and bring an ID that includes a photo and a signature. If you are in line to vote when the 7 p.m. closing time arrives, you will still be able to cast your ballot.

The only statewide race on the ballot is for the Senate seat held by Republican Rick Scott, who will learn who he will face in November.

Local races will be the main motivator to get people to the polls, including school board seats as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes for conservatives in several districts. Incumbents are running in all but one of Florida’s 28 congressional districts.

Here what to expect in the Florida primary:

State and local races:  For the first time ever, Florida Democrats have fielded a candidate for all 120 House and 40 Senate seats. Although it’s an admirable achievement and will force Republicans to spread their money around, Democrats lost control of the Senate in 1992 and the House in 1996.

Republicans have built a supermajority in both chambers. A few seats might change parties after November, but Republicans will likely maintain their dominance in the Legislature.

Today’s election will determine the winner in three Democratic races in Orange County where there are no Republicans or independents on the ballot. Incumbent state Sen. Geraldine Thompson and former state Sen. Randolph Bracy are facing off in a bitter contest in western Orange, while state Reps. Rita Harris and Bruce Antone both face challengers in their reelection bids.

School board races will face added attention in several districts with DeSantis endorsing 23 school board candidates across 14 counties this cycle and targeting 14 incumbent members. It’s part of his agenda to counter what he calls “woke” ideology in public schools.

Three seats are also up for grabs on the nonpartisan Orange County Commission, where races will head to a November runoff if one candidate doesn’t get more than 50% of the vote.

In District 1, incumbent commissioner Nicole Wilson faces a well-financed opponent in businessmen Austin Arthur. In District 3, incumbent commissioner Mayra Uribe faces state Sen. Linda Stewart and county Commission on Aging chair Augustin “Gus” Martinez, while four candidates are seeking to succeed outgoing commissioner Emily Bonilla in District 5, including former state Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil, former Winter Park mayor Steve Leary, attorney Joel A. Montilla and professor Kelly Semrad.

In countywide races, four Democrats are challenging Sheriff Marcos Lopez to lead the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, while Republican election supervisors in Seminole and Lake counties face challenges. The Democratic primary for Orange supervisor was canceled after a judge stripped an independent candidate from the ballot, moving the race to November and opening it to all voters.

Congress:  Incumbents are running for 27 of the state’s 28 House seats and all should be safe in the primary barring any surprises. The one open seat is now held by Republican Bill Posey in House District 8, which includes Christmas and the far eastern part of Orange County and all of Brevard County.

Posey announced his retirement hours after former Senate President Mike Haridopolos qualified for the race. He immediately backed Haridopolos, who now faces tech businessman John Hearton. The winner of the GOP primary will be the favorite to win in November. Democrats Sandy Kennedy and Daniel McDow are seeking the Democratic nomination.

Also in Central Florida, incumbent Republican U.S. Reps. Dan Webster and Cory Mills are favorites in their primaries, as is Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost.

One of the races to watch is the GOP primary to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, who has no challenger himself. The winner among Republicans Jose Castillo, Thomas Chalifoux and John Quiñones will attempt to swing a district in Osceola and southern Orange counties that has been trending right in the last few years, though Soto is still a favorite in a presidential year.

In addition, Democrats Jennifer Adams, Tatiana Fernandez and Allek Pastrana are seeking to flip the seat in Seminole and Volusia counties currently held by Mills.

U.S. Senate: While Scott technically has a primary, he is expected to win easily over two minor candidates with little name identification or money. He has the power of incumbency along with the backing of his party and has already spent about $27 million on his reelection, including millions of his personal money.

The leading candidate in the Democratic primary is former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who in 2018 became the first Ecuadorian American and first South American born woman elected to Congress. She lost her seat after one term.

Mucarsel-Powell has the backing of party leaders and has raised $12 million for the race. Scott is already campaigning as if she will be his opponent, but she first faces Navy veteran and businessman Stanley Campbell, Army veteran and businessman Rod Joseph and Brian Rush, a former four-term Florida state representative.

Steven Lemongello and Stephen Hudak of the Sentinel staff and Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/08/20/florida-primary-election/